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New adult male inmate building dedicated last week

Old building to be converted for “training in trade” for TCF inmates

With a new adult male inmate building completed and dedicated, Police Commissioner Save Liuato Tuitele plans to use the old building, currently housing the general adult male population, for “training in trade” for Territorial Correctional Facility (TCF) inmates.

NEW INMATE BUILDING

The new $3.11 million, one-story concrete structure of about 11,226 sq. ft., Inmate Building for TCF’s male population, funded by the Capital Improvement Project (CIP) money, was dedicated during a ceremony yesterday at the TCF compound — attended by Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga and other ASG officials and lawmakers.

The facility can house up to 114 inmates and consists of 23 standard cells at 4 inmates per cell, 10 maximum security cells, with double occupancy shower rooms for inmates, a day room, a security station, processing area, a laundry room and visiting rooms, according to the project description.

All cells will be furnished with bunk beds, cell desks and other detention equipment. Surveillance video system is installed both inside and outside of the building.

TRADE TRAINING

Once the inmates are moved into the new building, Save said the old building will remain on the TCF compound and he plans to utilize a section of the old building for “training in trade,” which has been planned for some time, but there was no available facility where it could be carried out.

Such training would help inmates when they are released from jail to find trade work in the community to help their families and even pay their court fines, he told Samoa News on Monday, and noted that trade training includes plumbing, electricians and carpentry.

He said there were people who approached him about such a training program for inmates but there was no facility available. Save said he plans to talk to the private sector about hiring inmates who have such trades for work — earning money to care for their families and pay their court fines.

Furthermore there are inmates who already have expertise in trade areas of carpentry and as electricians.

Save said planning and discussions for trade training as well as talking to the private sector for possible hiring of inmates who already have training in plumbing and as electricians, began several months ago, when he put the TCF “work release program” on hold because there was “no control” in place.

He said people were using inmates to do work, but were not paying them, while some inmates weren’t going directly from TCF to the workplace and back to TCF. Save said he only learned of the problem with the program, when he noticed two large trucks parked overnight in front, outside of the TCF gate — which involved two inmates who were on the program.

“And the two inmates were working for their family’s business. Thereafter I put a hold on the program, until it’s revamped and there is a control mechanism in place,” he said.

The police commissioner said after strict controls were implemented, the program was restarted recently with the two inmates, and pointed out that the program comes under the TCF warden’s purview, and it’s separate from the court work release program.

Meanwhile, the inmates, under the federally funded Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) program, who are housed in a different building, will remain there. They are not housed with the general population of prisoners, according to Save.